Armed with phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging

A file photo of a person planting a sapling as part of reforestation efforts. The Kenyan government’s goal of having at least 10% of the country covered in trees by 2022 has taken a hit from the financial downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, say forest authorities. — AFP

KWALE, Kenya: Standing under a thick green canopy in coastal Kenya’s Shim Hills, Mohamed Mwaramuno squints at his fellow forest ranger’s smartphone.

With about a dozen rangers, he has been using an app that through satellite feeds maps signs of forest fires, illegal logging and people encroaching on water sources, to stem worsening deforestation in Kwale County during the Covid-19 pandemic.